Galaxy S26 Ultra Teardown Reveals Improved Cooling System

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra comes as the company’s most powerful flagship smartphone yet. The phone features a redesigned vapor chamber cooling system for better heat dissipation. Now, a recent teardown reveals the Korean firm’s approach to improving thermal management in other key areas.

Samsung refines cooling in Galaxy S26 Ultra

The Galaxy S26 Ultra features Qualcomm’s customized chip, Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for “Galaxy”. The processor delivers faster performance, improved graphics, and cutting-edge AI capabilities. To maintain such incredible performance, Samsung has refined the phone’s cooling system by redesigning the vapor chamber. Moreover, the company positioned thermal interface material along the sides of the processor.

During the teardown, PBKreviews (YouTube channel) said the vapor chamber on the Galaxy S26 Ultra appears nearly identical in size to the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Of course, Samsung has adjusted the design slightly to improve heat distribution. More importantly, the latest flagship uses more thermal paste. These materials help transfer heat away from the processor.

The teardown shows a graphite film and thermal paste (or thermal compound) on the back shield to help transfer heat. Samsung usually does not use thermal material between the back of the motherboard and the phone’s frame. Instead, the company uses thermal or graphite pads to transfer heat. Moreover, we can see a thermal pad and thermal paste over the RAM, processor, and ROM (onboard storage).

So, Samsung appears to have taken a slightly different approach to thermal management with the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Meanwhile, PBKreviews also looked at the phone’s repairability during the teardown. The device received a repairability score of 9 out of 10, suggesting it is easy to repair.

If you have not yet purchased the Galaxy S26 Ultra, do it the right way. The pre-order program ends at midnight on March 10. So this is your last chance to score a FREE Mystery Box containing a 65W charger, case, USB-C earphones, and more accessories.